Trade Winds | The Bruery

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Our Summer seasonal, Trade Winds Tripel is a Belgian-style Golden Ale with a Southeast Asian twist. Instead of using candi sugar (typical for such a beer), we use rice in the mash to lighten the body and increase the gravity, and spice with Thai Basil. The result is an aromatic, digestible and complex beer made for a lazy summer evening.

Served cold - straight from the fridge - and allowed to warm a bit over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger beige colour head of no real cream, average thickness, and average (~2 minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a hazy murky copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Okay vibrance. Typical of the style; not unique or special. That said, no obvious flaws are detectable.

Sm: Pale malts, sugars, light floral hop character. Apple. Basil when I search for it. Fruit skin. Sweet biscuit malt. Apricot. Maybe some clove. Thin rice malt. Definitely on the sweeter end of the bitter/sweet scale. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable. An average strength aroma.

T: Pale, rice, light caramel, and biscuit malts form the body. Floral hop character rides atop. Clean and pleasant. The rice is interesting. I get a buried hint of basil spice when I really search for it. Lightly grainy. Apricot fruit; unnaturally sweet. Balance is off. Lacks the complexity and subtlety needed to make it a great beer in the style. Little yeast character comes through, if any. I don't get any alcohol. Decently layered but largely uninteresting.

Dr: I definitely wouldn't get this again, especially at its high price point. Another disappointment from The Bruery. Drinkable but forgettable. The rice and basil don't add enough to really set this one apart from the pack. I like it in a general sense, but it's not going to turn heads. Hides its ABV pretty well.

From inspirations found in China and Italy, this American-made but Belgian-style Tripel ale really steps outside of its comfort zone for added lightness and soft spiciness.

There's much to suggest that Tradewinds Tripel is as much of a Witbier as it is a Tripel. And that starts with its cloudy canary-yellow pour. Creamy from the start, its milky body slowly releases a tall column of billowing foam. Airy, light and cottony- the beer shows ample Belgian "white" character. Long in its retention and strongly concentric in its lace, its a well-built beer... at least to the eye.

Strikingly floral and fruity, an aura of honeysuckle, cookie dough, oranges and citrus blossoms swirl about the nose. Its bready undertow and earthen grass and vegetative notes offer complex aromatic notes but do little to step outside of what's common in Tripel. Much of its spice still come across as hops.

But in taste, the beer's uniqueness begins to pull from the fold. Its bready sweetness is firm but not heavy. Fortunitely there's enough pilsner malt to keep the rice from providing the ill-faded "emptiness" that's common in most rice-infused beers. As the beer glides across the middle palate, the fruit and spice interplay comes to life as oranges bounce off of coriander, lemons do similarly with grassy tones. Apples to its unique herbaceous taste and tropical fruits to spicy white pepper- all these symbiotic relationships explode as the beer dives into a semi-sweet finish of mild hop bitterness and white wine vinous taste.

Medium bodied, I expected the ale to provide lighter textures because of its rice "lightness" and its promise of sprite carbonation. But is champagne character is just as creamy as it is effervescent and its light rice body is minimal. This really allows the creamy ale to extend well into finish where its the slight vegetative astringency, alcohol warmth and drying hop sensation to clean up after itself with an aftertaste of... there it is- basil! ...and perhaps grassy chlorophyll as well.

Oddly, when a beer maker sets out to make an "imperial" Witbier, its ends up a boozy, syrupy and sticky mess. But without hardly trying, the Bruery created one but based off of Tripel framework instead. I rather like the beer, but not so much as a Tripel. I also like it that the experimentation factors here don't define the beer, just offers a glimpse.

T: There is an orange to peach like fruitiness with a pepper bite and moderate bitterness. A light malt and honey-like sweetness come out in the middle with an off-dry finish and a little hot. There is a moderately-light basil flavor and moderate spiciness. The balance is towards the bitter an aftertaste of honey and hops bitterness.

M: Moderate bodied with a moderately-high carbonation. There is a chile pepper like bit in the back of the throat. Kind of viscous but the high carbonation gives the impression of a lighter body. Moderate alcohol warmth, no creaminess and a light astringency.

Lots of carbonation upon opening. Hazy orange/yellow with an inch of bubbly white head. Splotchy lacing on the glass. Aromas of sun drenched grains, fruit and spice. The basil is subtle but noticeable here as well.

Very fruity upfront with lots of fast moving carbonation and a spicy yeast kick. The basil comes through nicely in the flavor with a green herbal integration. Moves through with a decent amount of sweetness that ends with spiciness on the finish.

Medium bodied and smooth with plenty of carbonation that works for the beer and the style. Overall, an interesting twist on the tripel. I was expecting a little more "wow" factor in the flavor, but other than that it was a solid drink.

Belgian style bomber bottle, I like the oversized cap. Pours glowing apricot, with lots of bubbles rising and lifting an initially huge off white head, that sticks around forever and slowly turns to merainge. Then leaves nice strands of lace and a much better then average collar of the thick stuff. It emits a hearty sniff of mint, pepper and Belgian leaning yeast. Quite enjoyable and tasty take on a favorite style. Phenolic and minty, with additional notes of honey, pepper, and even the advertized thai basil lending a complexity enhancing addition to the mix. Drys out nicely in the finish. 8% nowhere to be found.Well done, refreshing and intriguing. I really enjoyed this one. Go get some and enjoy a finely crafted American take on a classic style.

Mouthfeel: sweet with a touch of bitterness at the end, medium-light bodied with medium carbonation

Overall: A tasty tripel. I like the element of the thai basil. It adds a different element to the standard tripel that gives it some herbal components to it. One that I would go back to if I wanted the style because it stands out.

Most amazing beer appearance in a long time. Golden color with awesome retention and the head stays firm and creamy. The surface of the head is cratered like the surface of the moon, very interesting. Floral, but also very earthy in the nose and some sort of spice (apparently basil). Taste has a creaminess to it, but still manages to be dry in the finish. Almost vanilla-like in the taste, with a bit of Cool-Whip, bits of grain, and a long, earthy taste. High carbonation and medium body. If not for a little bit of a metallic taste, I'd bump the taste score up another notch. Pretty good Tripel, and nice to have an American one that is nice and relatively dry.

The beer pours a hazy orange-amber color with a white head. Looks about like a tripel is supposed to look.

The aroma is outstanding. I get a load of wheat and Asian basil as well as some nice fruit notes. There is also a nice Belgian yeast aroma and some muddled spices.

The flavor is just as good if not better. I get a lot of wheat and lemons, along with some cherries. The yeast and basil are once again present and compliment the other flavors very well. The beer is somewhat dry and is very easy to drink.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. One of the best American-made tripels I have drank.